This invention relates to a device for use in playing the game of shuffleboard and more particularly to a cue head having weighted replaceable runners capable of being either rigidly or pivotally affixed to a frame. The present invention resides in improvements in replaceable runners of the type disclosed in the application of Earl G. Caunter, Ser. No. 970,030, filed concurrently herewith and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
In shuffleboard, a player propels a disc along a court toward a scoring diagram utilizing a cue having a head which contacts and directs the disc during each propelling operation. Since the accuracy of a shot depends upon the player's precise aim and ability to impart the correct amount of force to the disc, the structure and condition of the head become important when the game is played with skill.
Such design factors as the lateral spacing between runners, the condition of the runners resulting from extended wear, the weight of the cue head, the manner in which the runners engage the disc, and the effect of friction between the cue head and the court all contribute to the player's control during each disc propelling operation. In addition, external factors such as wind play an important part in control. The shuffleboard cue heads disclosed in the aforementioned application and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,239,391, 2,435,855, and 2,805,068 illustrate a variety of prior art structures which are intended to provide better player control.
A drawback of the prior art cue heads relates to their lack of versatility. A player may find a particular structure well adapted for a specific type of shot and inadequate for another. In addition, many of the prior art cue heads have complicated structures which are expensive to produce and require the use of tools to maintain. Others are too light and, in order to provide additional weight, players frequently wrap solder wire around the cue stick near the head.